The present invention relates to conveying and storing apparatus for conveying articles between two machines and for storing articles in transit between the machines, in particular for conveying and storing cigarettes between a filter web machine and a cigarette packing machine.
It is becoming increasingly usual to connect a cigarette packing machine directly with a cigarette strand machine or filter application machine in order to restrict the operation to fewer personnel and to save on the number of transport containers required. Accordingly, the cigarettes, lying transversely, are fed directly from one machine to the next on a simple conveying belt, on which a smoothing belt can still loosely rest. This leads to difficulties, however, when one of the machines has a stoppage. If the packing machine stops, then the problem arises of disposing of cigarettes supplied at a rate of, for example, 4000 to 6000 per minute. If the filter web machine stops, then the problem arises of finding an alternative supply of cigarettes. In this connection, there are known feed devices of a complicated kind, which serve for the loading of several packing machines disposed at a spacing from one another and which are controllable to increase or reduce the stacking height of cigarettes on the feed belts. However, as several groups each of a smaller number of machines, for example a packing machine and one or two stranding or filter applying machines, are preferable, because they are more easily monitored and can individually be subject to a stoppage, feed devices of the above-mentioned kind cannot be employed.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide conveying and storing apparaus which can for a short time serve to store articles in transit between two machines and which is constructed as simply as possible.